49ers' James suffers arm injury

SANTA CLARA -- Running back LaMichael James was carted off the field Sunday after he suffered an injury to his left arm early in practice.

NFL Network reported that James suffered a dislocated elbow and that he is expected to miss a month or so.

James had just become a top contender for the No. 2 running back role Friday, once Kendall Hunter went down with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.

It's believed James got hurt in a pass-blocking drill. Coach Jim Harbaugh hovered over James on the ground before a trainer whisked James off to the locker room in a motorized cart.

James appeared to be supporting his left wrist with his right hand. The 49ers did not provide any information on James' injury.

San Francisco 49ers' LaMichael James (23) runs against Houston Texans' Whitney Mercilus (59) in the third quarter at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Oct. 6, 2013. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)

James spoke Saturday about how he approaches pass protection, stating: "It's more of a mental game. Eyes in the right spot. Picking up blitzes. Now this is my third year, and I have a better grasp of anything."

Injuries have struck James leading up to his two previous NFL seasons. James sprained his left knee in the 49ers' 2013 exhibition finale at San Diego, and an ankle injury required him to be carted off the field in a 2012 exhibition at Houston.

Running back was one of the 49ers' deepest positions entering camp. Now, rookie Carlos Hyde and former practice-squad player Jewel Hampton are the only healthy backups behind starter Frank Gore.

Marcus Lattimore eventually will join that group. He began camp on the non-football-injury list while conditioning his reconstructed right knee.

Advertisement

"There's a percentage that it needs to get better," Harbaugh said of Lattimore's knee. "As I watched him through the offseason, you could see it getting better every single day. ... It's not yet 100 (percent)."

After Hunter's injury, James said Saturday: "I know everybody is looking at me now. I'm going to go out there and work hard."

Last season's knee sprain caused James to miss the first three games of the regular season, and Harbaugh said it ultimately affected James' spot on the depth chart.

James took over as the 49ers punt returner the second half of the season. He had only 12 carries for 59 yards in the regular season and one rush for no yards in the NFC Championship game loss at Seattle.

Before Sunday's practice and James' injury, Harbaugh gave James a strong endorsement:

"We have complete and total confidence in LaMichael James," Harbaugh said, "and I don't see anything (needed) in terms of stepping up or proving anything on his part. We know him to be a very fine football player."

Rookie cornerback Dontae Johnson broke up three passes from Colin Kaepernick, including one intended for Brandon Lloyd that he almost intercepted.

The 49ers activated center Marcus Martin and linebacker Aaron Lynch from different injury lists Sunday. Martin was on the non-football injury list with an ankle injury, while Lynch had been on the physically-unable-to-perform list because of a hamstring injury. Both occurred during offseason workouts.

Harbaugh said he has not communicated with holdout right guard Alex Boone since training camp started. Joe Looney, who is taking Boone's reps in camp, had some "wow moments" in practice Saturday, Harbaugh said.

Guard Fouimalo Fonoti missed the tail end of practice after he suffered an injury to his left leg. He is a rookie out of Michigan State. Cornerback Chris Culliver walked into the locker room midway through practice and missed the remainder of the session for an undisclosed reason.

The news of Hunter suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee made Harbaugh "physically sick," Harbaugh said.